Senate Republican's Bid to Restrict Funding for Abortion Rejected

Wednesday, Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT) put forth an amendment in the Senate Finance Committee in the hopes of tightening up provisions that would restrict federal funding of abortions in the proposed health care legislation. His amendment was rejected in a 13-10 vote by the committee. All Republicans, with the exception of Senator Olympia Snowe (R-ME), and one Democrat, Kent Conrad (D-ND) voted for the amendment in support of Hatch.

Senator Hatch also offered an amendment that would strengthen protection for physicians who refuse to perform abortions or any other procedure based on moral or religious objections. This amendment was also voted down in a 13-10 predominately party-line vote.

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, (D-MT) argued that his bill already prevents federal funding of abortion, except in the case of rape, incest or to save the life of the mother. According to Baucus, health plans would be required to separate federal funds from funds used to pay for abortions in other cases. Just like the smoke and mirrors the House is using in HR 3200 to claim that illegal aliens will not be allowed to participate in a public option, so is the Senate using trickery with the abortion issue. For more information on the issue of illegal immigration and the public option, click here. Yes, the current proposed bill contains the restrictions to which Baucus refers. However, that restriction must be renewed every year! Therefore, if Congress fails to renew this ban, the restriction on federally funded abortion magically disappears. It is amazing that lawmakers can keep a straight face when they tell you about these misleading provisions. If Baucus and the supporters of the Senate version are serious about restricting federally funded abortions, the bill would not contain a flimsy one-year ban to be renewed each year.

This vote could spell trouble for support of the health care bill from Catholics who are otherwise in favor of expanding coverage. Catholic bishops and other abortion opponents see that fatal flaw in the one year restriction of abortion funding and are also concerned that the ban will fail to be renewed. Even many in favor of public funding of abortion hesitate at the thought of forcing a physician to perform an abortion when he is morally opposed to the procedure. The aptly named "Conscience Law" should not even be controversial in writing health care reform legislation that should be in the best interests of all Americans.

The debate over federal funding of abortion will most certainly be debated on the Senate floor, as abortion rights supporters and opponents of abortion feel strongly about this language in the proposed bill. Republicans are expected to offer more amendments strengthening restrictions on illegal aliens receiving federal funding to purchase health insurance. Illegal immigration and abortion continue to be issues of debate in the House, where Democrats would like to finalize health care reform legislation this week. Ultimately, Democrats are trying to determine how they are going to trim down the extremely costly bill to $900 billion dollars over ten years. These struggles and debates are likely to continue as these issues remain hot buttons for constituents whose wrath rained down upon lawmakers in Town Hall meetings held across the nation in August.